[EvilDrPorkChop]

Anyone debated canceling theirs or have done?

Mines up for renewal, and considering I hardly watch it or watch BBC then I'm seriously considering ditching it.

[gac]

I cancelled the last one when I moved out of my old house, and haven't signed up for one here in the new house. There is an aerial but it's so out of alignment that it's non-functional, and there is a Sky dish but the standard Sky LNB is not compatible with the Freesat tuner in my LG telly, so there's no way for me to watch live TV on the actual TV (I don't think the TV apps do live TV over the Internet like the websites do).

Having said that, I don't really care about not watching live TV as catch-up is fine for me, I occasionally miss stuff off iPlayer but it's been few and far between. Probably the only thing I can think of right now is I kind of enjoy watching people f**k up royally on the Apprentice so that I can feel smug about all the different decisions I would have made without a camera pointed at me - but is it worth £150+ a year? Nah. I'm fine with Netflix (which I pay for), YouTube (which I don't), Amazon Prime (which I don't really care about but get bundled cos I have Prime Delivery) and Disney+ (which my daughter subs to and is usually signed in on her bedroom TV if there was anything I want to watch).

[crAbb]

Never had one.

[Pond]

Originally Posted by crAbb

Never had one.

So you have never listened to or watched anything created by the BBC?

EVER?

[Pond]

Originally Posted by EvilDrPorkChop

Anyone debated canceling theirs or have done?

Mines up for renewal, and considering I hardly watch it or watch BBC then I'm seriously considering ditching it.

The licence fee is still extremely good VFM.

So we ditch the licence fee, and then pay SKY, Netflix, BT Sports, Amazon Prime, etc, etc? Soon adds up to much more than the licence fee is ever likely to be.

AND if enough stop paying the Beeb, it will have adverts to pay for itself. The last bastion of advert-free anything is the BBC.

The yearly licence fee is about the same money as two brakes discs for an average Beemer, or one for a Porker.

[AlanQS]

The joke is, we all pay for the terrestrial commercial channels whether we want to or not, through advertising, the cost of which is included in the products we buy, we can't avoid it.

Biggest joke is, we pay far more in advertising costs of our goods than we have or will ever pay for the BBC through the license; but no one ever thinks of that.

[Abzynthe]

I’m a good boy and pay it, even though I don’t want to. Just because the Mrs likes to watch Casualty. That’s the only BBC she watches too!

[gac]

Originally Posted by Pond

The licence fee is still extremely good VFM.

So we ditch the licence fee, and then pay SKY, Netflix, BT Sports, Amazon Prime, etc, etc? Soon adds up to much more than the licence fee is ever likely to be.

AND if enough stop paying the Beeb, it will have adverts to pay for itself. The last bastion of advert-free anything is the BBC.

The yearly licence fee is about the same money as two brakes discs for an average Beemer, or one for a Porker.

And if I still used it as much as I use my brake discs then perhaps I'd feel differently but I haven't missed it (either live TV or iPlayer catchup) in the year I've lived here so I feel like I've made the right choice for me. It'll be unfortunate if the BBC does feel that they have to start showing adverts to make up for lost license revenue - but at the same time, I find it a little hard to care because I don't watch the BBC anymore these days so I won't see them anyway. I'm sure there'll be a period where the license fee goes up in price to try and ward that off, and I expect there'll be a lot of people re-considering what the value is for them personally every time that happens.

[AndyMD]

I'm a fan of the licence fee and the value it provides. Not only does it fund the 8 BBC TV channels, but around 35 national and local radio stations and iPlayer, all for about 40p a day.

But it goes beyond just the BBC, it feeds creativity within the country, builds the arts in this country, and increases the global cultural status of the UK, which has a follow on for tourism, job security etc

If anyone states that they have not watched or listened to a BBC product, programme, radio station, football commentary, listened to a BBC podcast, coverage of the Queen's death etc within the last 12 months, I don't believe them. the fee goes towards the people making these products and programmes, working hard and trying to make a living and in places, a difference (news coverage and documentaries)

If you do binge on BBC content and don't pay the fee, your are weakening the quality of the only media company in the UK that doesn't have shareholders and has to make a profit for them. You are also taking money from the people who make the content that you watch or listen to. I would like to know how you would react if someone did the same to any products you or your company made.

Passionate ex journo who doesn't want to see UK media be a reflection of US media.

[crAbb]

Originally Posted by Pond

So you have never listened to or watched anything created by the BBC?

EVER?

Of course I have. Occasionally.

[xenon]

Originally Posted by crAbb

Never had one.

The students will be tearing down their posters of Che now that they have a new hero. Well done.

[F30Andy]

Eastenders is a guilty pleasure of mine, so I am unable to ditch paying it at the moment.

[JR1664]

We have a granny on pension credit in the annexe so get it free.

[Pentland]

Originally Posted by crAbb

Never had one.

You da man!

[Watsey]

Interestingly polarised opinions - no surprise there !

I’m also a fan of the BBC, but I expect it depends on what you like to watch.

I binge on medical programmes (Surgeons, for example), wildlife (what will we do when DA eventually goes to the big jungle in the sky ?), and science documentaries.

I almost never watch ITV because it seems full of the chav shit that my wife watches (Made in Chelsea, or is that on C4 ?). Also can’t stand ad breaks.

£150/yr for the quality of the Beeb’s content is excellent value for money IMO.

[MrManor]

Personally I only watch the Apprentice, Masterchef and the occasional game of footy when it’s on there, I watch YouTube the rest of the time pretty much.

Mrs watches some stuff on it, I don’t think it’s dear and it’s relatively small change so I can’t see me ever ditching it.

[Allworth]

I haven't had a TV for the past 15 years, I may have listened half a podcast on radio.
I do read BBC website headlines, rarely deeper, as I generally not fancy this sort of journalism (too yellow for sensitive topics), I have seen Queen's and Princess's funerals.
I am getting letters from TV licensing agency about the inspections on a monthly basis, is this for the funerals that I have seen or for half a podcast that I have listened?

[Pond]

Originally Posted by Allworth

I haven't had a TV for the past 15 years, I may have listened half a podcast on radio.
I do read BBC website headlines, rarely deeper, as I generally not fancy this sort of journalism (too yellow for sensitive topics), I have seen Queen's and Princess's funerals.
I am getting letters from TV licensing agency about the inspections on a monthly basis, is this for the funerals that I have seen or for half a podcast that I have listened?

The idea is not for YOU to decide how much BBC content you watch, or listen to, to decide whether it is enough to warrant the licence fee.

If you consume ANY BBC content EVER, you are liable to pay the licence fee

The licence fee is like Council Tax IMO, we all consider we pay too much for the actual benefit WE each receive, but it's the way it's done.

I would much rather pay £150 a year, just for iPlayer, than the other commercial 'catch ups' where it's constant adverts which you can't skip unless you pay. So just like the BBC, then!

[isleaiw1]

BBC is the only TV I currently pay for, sky and all the other shit is ludicrously expensive compared to the licence fee, so I'm happy with my choice...

If you offer TV commercially in a public place (a hotel room is a public place...) then you need a TV licence and to pay royalties a la PRS and PPL for music.... the downside is that there is no central body and random firms are setting up to charge, and its getting silly...

[MrManor]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

BBC is the only TV I currently pay for, sky and all the other shit is ludicrously expensive compared to the licence fee, so I'm happy with my choice...

If you offer TV commercially in a public place (a hotel room is a public place...) then you need a TV licence and to pay royalties a la PRS and PPL for music.... the downside is that there is no central body and random firms are setting up to charge, and its getting silly...

I pay £5.83 a month for pretty much every channel.

Big bargain my friend.

[bishbosh]

Originally Posted by Pond

The idea is not for YOU to decide how much BBC content you watch, or listen to, to decide whether it is enough to warrant the licence fee.

If you consume ANY BBC content EVER, you are liable to pay the licence fee

The licence fee is like Council Tax IMO, we all consider we pay too much for the actual benefit WE each receive, but it's the way it's done.

I would much rather pay £150 a year, just for iPlayer, than the other commercial 'catch ups' where it's constant adverts which you can't skip unless you pay. So just like the BBC, then!

You don't need a licence to read the BBC website or the radio though do you?

[Pond]

Originally Posted by bishbosh

You don't need a licence to read the BBC website or the radio though do you?

No, but the radio channels are funded by the licence fee, so no fee no radio, eventually.